


The Taskmaster Halloween Special: Task One

by Sashataakheru



Category: Taskmaster (UK TV) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Creatures, Dream worlds, Dreams, Gen, Ghosts, Giants, Goddesses, Hallucinations, Magic, Mindfuck, Nightmares, Skeletons, Spook Me Multi-Fandom Halloween Ficathon, Survival, Witches, alternative universe - magical powers, creepy forests, ghostly giants, giant ghosts, halloween fic, magical healing, magical injuries, magical powers, supernatural kidnapping, supernatural woo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 06:27:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16470479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sashataakheru/pseuds/Sashataakheru
Summary: The Taskmaster sends His Champions out to the woods at night to see just how brave they really are.





	The Taskmaster Halloween Special: Task One

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Spook Me Halloween fic challenge 2018, using the prompts ‘ghost’, ‘giant’, and [this image prompt](https://images40.fotki.com/v1668/photos/6/3814576/14859667/marrowgar_by_namesjamesdblal0o-vi.jpg).
> 
> I appreciate s7 giving us a creepy forest to play with, and ravens, and Alex running through the trees as if he's being chased, and I almost, _almost_ , went for the s7 cast for this fic, but I'd only seen three episodes of s7 when I started writing this and I wasn't sure I'd seen them all enough to write them well enough and know how they'd play the game if I set them loose on this challenge. So I opted for Champions instead.
> 
> The plan was to have all five Champions done to complete this fic, but Katherine’s took so long to finish writing, I didn’t have time to finish the others. When I have more time after NaNoWriMo, I'll go back and finish writing the attempts I've sketched out for Bob Mortimer, Noel Fielding, Rob Beckett, and Liza Tarbuck, so the whole thing's complete. But for now, have Katherine Ryan's attempt, with an IOU for the rest, including perhaps writing up some of the other Halloween tasks I came up with before s7 started and I got glomped by a creepy forest instead. :D
> 
> If you’re wondering why Josh Widdicombe isn’t in that list above, it’s bc I really wanted to see Liza Tarbuck play a monster task, given the fly creature she made in s6e1. That, and I figured Josh had already played the Champions once and won, so he didn’t need to play again. But I could add him in as a bonus if you really want to see him attempt this task.

Alex ran. The shadow was difficult to see in the darkness, and he had nothing but a torch to guide him, which was no help when he could see nothing but trees. Everything was a blur. He knew what was coming for him. He knew. This was the fifth time he’d had to run from it. But it didn’t make it any less terrifying. There was only one set of footsteps he could hear, and they were his own. 

* * *

He knew the path well enough by now. He knew how to avoid the branches and not trip over. But that wasn’t the point. All of that safety was left behind because he knew what would happen when that shadow caught him. He knew he would be caught. That was the whole point. And then - and then - _oh, God_.

* * *

His legs ached terribly, he was sure they would collapse under him at any second, but he could see a face in the distance now. At last. He was nearly there. But he knew by now that ‘near’ was as close as he was going to get. As soon as he could see Katherine’s face clearly, the shadow overwhelmed him, and he could see nothing but darkness as a giant hand clasped over his mouth and took him somewhere else. 

* * *

If it weren’t for the crew there with her, Katherine might’ve refused to be out here alone. She’d just been told to wait here for Alex, but nothing seemed to be happening. It was cold, dark, and she had no idea what was going to happen out here.  
  
Then she heard someone running. Now she was scared. No, not scared, not yet. Concerned. She looked around, trying to see who it was. She hoped it wasn't a stranger. She wasn't sure what she'd do if some strange man wanted to attack her. Then she saw Alex running towards her, reaching for her, looking terrified by whatever was chasing him. She couldn’t see anything except the torchlight and his face. Then she heard a muffled scream as he disappeared into the darkness, and she was all alone, unsure what to do now.  
  
Nothing happened. The silence was awful. She thought she heard something move, but she couldn’t be sure. She might just be scaring herself. But then again, it suddenly felt very, very dark now. She was suddenly aware of how very alone she was out here, and began to wonder what this task might want her to do.  
  
“Alex? Alex, are you there?” Katherine called, taking a tentative step forward. “Are you alright?”  
  
She was hoping he’d just fallen. He’d be dusting himself off and come walking towards her to give her the task. Any minute now. That’s what was going to happen, right? She so focused on willing Alex to appear that she was blindsided when Greg walked towards her from the darkness to hand her the task instead. Katherine definitely tried not to look scared, because that definitely wasn't supposed to happen, right? That wasn't how the show worked. Greg wasn't meant to be here at all. He didn’t give out the tasks himself, that was Alex’s job. So where was Alex? If they were trying to unsettle her, they were succeeding. She didn't know what was going on at all.  
  
"No, this isn't right. Go away. You're not meant to be here, Greg. Where's Alex? What's going on?" Katherine said, trying not to sound scared.  
  
Greg handed her the task. “Never send a dog to do a man's job. Are you alright, Katherine? You're not scared, are you? Because my Champions are not afraid of the dark, Katherine. Remember that.”  
  
Katherine didn't feel any less scared, but perhaps she could be brave tonight. “Yes, Your Lordship, I'll be brave for you, I promise.”  
  
Katherine took the wax-sealed task, wondering what it contained. In the second it took her to open the task and look back up, Greg had vanished into the silent darkness, as if he'd never been there at all. Katherine was sure she saw a shadow move in the corner of her vision. A chill went up her spine.  
  
“Did you guys see that? That really happened, didn’t it? Where’s Alex?” Katherine said, trying not to show her fear. She needed to be the bossy bitch, she could see that very clearly. But it was hard when her heart was pounding so loudly she thought she could hear it echo for miles. She took a moment to settle her nerves before she turned her attention back to the task at hand.  
  
“Alright, fine. Let’s see what His Lordship has in store for us.” She opened the task, and it took a minute to comprehend what was written on it. “ _’Find and rescue Alex from the giant that lives in the woods. Your time started when Alex disappeared. You have until dawn to rescue Alex. If you fail to rescue Alex by dawn, you will be disqualified. You may use anything you find in the woods to assist you. Fastest rescue time wins.’_ Giants? There are giants in these woods? You mean, giants other than Greg?”  
  
Katherine looked around. No one offered any help, because that’s not what they were there for. She listened, trying to hear what she assumed would be the tremors of giants walking at night, but she heard nor felt anything strange. All she could hear was the haunting silent of dark woods at night. She took a deep breath and summoned her courage.  
  
“Alright. I guess we’d better go find a giant then. That can’t be too hard. They’re not hard to spot, right? They're giants.” 

* * *

After the shadow had caught him, there was another hard fall onto a stone floor for Alex. He landed at the top of some stairs, or so he assumed, and it left him winded and shocked. He'd hit his head hard and he lay there, trying not to feel dizzy and black out. He might have groaned. At least he wasn't nauseous for once. He wasn't really sure what was going on. He could hear voices, he thought, but couldn't make out any words. Either his brain was damaged, or they weren't speaking a language he understood.  
  
He was just glad this was the last time he had to do this. He wasn't sure he could put up with having to do this one last time. This task had taken its toll on his body and his mind, and it was only the sweet, gentle cuddles with Greg for as long as he needed after each one that had helped him not fall into a pit of madness and despair. This was the hardest task he'd ever had to do for the show, and he vowed never to repeat it. But then Greg never minded if he put himself and his body on the line, because it meant he could take care of him later, once it was all over, and Alex loved that far more than he would ever admit to. Being taken care of by Greg was worth all the pain and the torment. But that thought was far from his mind as he lay there on the ground, staring up at the impossibly high ceiling above him.  
  
He was too tired to fight this time when what appeared to be only a small giant - a child, perhaps - picked him up and took him to what could only be a toy room. He hadn't been picked up gently, and his body ached. He had a bad headache now, and his neck felt like he might have strained it, or it was whiplash, he wasn't really sure he could tell the difference at this point. There, he was put into a doll house and all he wanted to do was curl up and sleep. Instead, the child begged him to dance, and Alex tried, he really did, but his body was too sore, he couldn't keep his balance, and he had no energy left. He collapsed, crying into his hands, wishing this was already over. None of this pleased the giant, who picked him up roughly and shoved him into a little cage. This just made Alex hurt more.  
  
"Mummy promised me a playmate! If you won't play with me you can just stay in there, you rotter!" the giant wailed before turning their back on him to play with something else.  
  
Alex curled up against the bars, trying not to catch the giant's attention again, praying Katherine would be here to rescue him soon.

* * *

 

Katherine looked around as she walked, not sure what she was looking for. She had found the torch Alex had been carrying, and decided that was at least one way to look first. She was also looking for anything that might help defeat giants. Weapons, sticks, stones, anything, really. She didn’t know what she might end up needing. She wasn’t against using violence, but she didn’t want to resort to it, because she was sure they could just pick her up and throw her away like a doll. There had to be another way.  
  
She was secretly glad they had given her hiking boots before they'd let her loose in the woods, because she was sure she would have broken a heel long ago, or possibly fallen and broken her ankle. They weren't the most glamourous shoes in the world, but sometimes a task calls for proper footwear, and for once, she was glad for it.  
  
She'd walked far enough to find a path, one that seemed to have been built through the forest, and she decided following that was as good as any other option, given it was dark and she didn't know where she was going. She was less afraid than she was at the start, but a good walk did that to her, and it stopped her paying attention to all the creatures who were there, watching her. She was beginning to feel in charge, like she was a proper Champion, and she could totally go and rescue a damsel in distress from giants and sweep him off his feet and carry him back to his master. She could totally do this. She wished she'd brought a sword or something, that might have made her feel stronger.  
  
As she came to a fork in the road, she stopped, thinking. She'd had an insight, perhaps. She wasn't sure if she was being clever or not. But she had to voice this idea before it left her, before she had to think of another approach, before she had walked too far to be able to retrace her steps and leave.  
  
"Wait. Hang on. Is the giant actually in the woods? Is Alex actually here, or is he being held somewhere else?" Katherine pulled the task out and reread it. " _'Find and rescue Alex from the giant that lives in the woods.'_ I mean, that just means the giant lives in the woods, right? It doesn't say where Alex is. Could I just call him and ask him where he is? I mean, that's totally allowed, right?"  
  
She was a little disappointed there was no Alex to confirm or deny her planned approach, but she decided she had nothing to lose, so it was worth a try. She took out her phone, and hoped Alex was going to answer her. Three times, the call rang out, or didn't connect at all. The fourth time, she smiled with relief when Alex did pick up, but the connection was faint, and his anxious voice was not what she was hoping to hear.  
  
"Don't call me, please, the giant doesn't-" was all Alex managed to say before there was a horrific crash, metal scraping on stone, and a loud cry. She was almost certain she heard Alex whimpering, but he wasn't speaking, that she could be sure of.  
  
"Alex? Alex! Are you alright? Hold on, Alex, I'm coming!" Katherine said, just before the line went dead. She could feel a small twinge of anger rising in her chest. "I really hope he's alright. What kind of danger did he put you in this time?"  
  
Katherine put her phone away, more determined than ever to find Alex and rescue him from the giant. She didn't notice the pair of shining eyes following her.

* * *

 

Alex was dazed, his body ached, and he was sure his left ankle was broken. He was sure he couldn't walk on it, at the very least. He might have other broken bones, but honestly, there was too much pain to really tell. He couldn't focus on anything. He was only vaguely aware of being taken out of the cage and picked up in giant hands and carried into another room.  
  
"You were not allowed to hurt him, child, now look what you've done! Humans are so fragile, they break like little birds! Go, call the witch, she will be able to mend him before one of his champions comes to take him back from us. I hope they give you a good kicking, you deserve it for hurting the little one!" an angry voice said.  
  
Alex didn't really comprehend it, he didn't really know who was speaking, and the volume of their voices was just so loud. He had enough energy to press his hands over his ears, and then the pain just overwhelmed him and he passed out for a moment. He decided to let himself be rocked gently in the giant's hands, because what else could he do? Perhaps he slept. Perhaps he passed out again. He didn't really know the difference. But he imagined it was Greg, giant Greg, just gently cradling him in his big wonderful hands, just gently rocking him to sleep. Sleep, sleep, yes, sleep, then it would all be over. It would all be over if he just fell asleep in the hands of his master.  
  
All he remembered when he drifted into consciousness again were strange dreams, bright light, and then, the next thing he knew, he was being carefully placed into a human-sized bed, perhaps back in the doll house, and finally, he was left alone to rest, his body healed and free of pain at last. He fell straight asleep.

* * *

 

Katherine found a small cottage after about another half an hour of walking. It was a cottage that seemed to be made entirely out of gingerbread.  
  
"Oh, I see, that's the sort of game we're playing. Right. I wonder if there'll be a witch about," Katherine said as she peered at the house.  
  
She could at least appreciate the effort they'd gone to make a house out of gingerbread, or, at the very least, something that looked like gingerbread. But as she got closer, she could smell it. It smelt like gingerbread. She hadn't been expecting that. She peered in through the windows, trying to see if anyone was home. She didn't dare touch it, because bad things happened when you touched a witch's cottage without being asked, right?  
  
"Hello? Is there anyone around? I'm looking for a giant," Katherine said as she walked around the cottage.  
  
"A giant? Really? You must be mad to go looking for giants here at night. What do you want with them, anyway?" came a voice from behind her.  
  
Katherine turned to see a woman standing before her who looked absolutely nothing like every image of a witch all those fairy stories had prepared her for. They'd gone to the trouble of making a gingerbread house, but couldn't be bothered with the warts and green skin and black raggedy clothes? What was this, she hardly looked more than 40, barefoot, and the tie-dye didn't really suit her, but she didn't seem to care. She could at least appreciate the strings of crystal necklaces she wore, though, and she did, to her credit, have the black pointy hat. But that was about it. A green dragon tattoo curled its way around her left arm, and her eyes were piercing and unwelcoming.  
  
"I'm looking for someone, they were taken by a giant, and I've got to go and find them again. Do you know where I might look?" Katherine said.  
  
The witch sized her up. "I might, which giant are you looking for? There's quite a few here, and they won't all like being accused of kidnapping humans when they didn't. I wouldn't want to send you to the wrong giant."  
  
Katherine hadn't actually considered that there would be more than one giant in the woods, and that they might not all be guilty of kidnapping Alex. What on earth had she walked into?  
  
"What do you mean, there's more than one? There's more than one giant? I have no idea who took him, I really don't. I don't remember seeing anything. He was just running towards me then this shadow just swallowed him up and he was nowhere to be found. I don't know anything. I tried to call him, but he - I don't know, something happened. There was a crash, I think he got hurt. But I don't know. I didn't hear enough to tell me what had happened before the line went dead. I swear, if they've hurt him - if they've even dared to-" Katherine was shaking with rage, even though she wasn't really sure what she would actually do once she found the giant.  
  
"Ahh, well, I think I might know who might have him. Dangerous lot, though. The Granges don't like humans very much. You'd best be careful if you're going to go there. Just keep heading north till you find a mossy wall. You'll know it when you see it. They live near there. Good luck getting him back, though, their kid likes human playmates," the witch said.  
  
"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that last thing. Alright, which way's north then? I can't just sit here and pretend like he's going to be alright. Maybe I'll find someone else who can help along the way. How tall are these giants anyway?" Katherine said.  
  
"Oh, the kid's aren't so bad, maybe fifteen feet or so. The adults are where you'll run into trouble, they can get up to seventy feet tall. Good luck with them, you'll need it," the witch said.  
  
"Seventy feet tall? The adults are seventy feet tall? Oh, god, I'm never going to get him back, am I? What can I do against a seventy-foot-tall giant?" Katherine said, the scale of the task finally beginning to sink in.  
  
"Oh, you just need some magic, that fixes them right up. See, giants are just big people. They're not magical, not like witches. You hit 'em hard enough with the right sort of magic, they fall right over. You do have some magic, don't you? You must do, I can smell it on you," the witch said.  
  
"Oh, I'm not magical, no way. You're looking at the wrong woman. I'm not a witch," Katherine said.  
  
"What's my house made of? Go on, humour me," the witch said.  
  
Katherine looked confused. "It's a pokey little gingerbread house, made from actual gingerbread, I can smell it! Why does that matter?"  
  
"Because only magical people can see the real gingerbread. Everyone else just sees a log cabin. You're magical, even if you don't know it. Maybe you need to take some time to practice before you take on giants. Just remember, their weak point is the back of their neck. Hit 'em hard enough with a stunner and they'll fall right over. Just make sure you're out of their way when they fall, because they will kill you if they fall on you," the witch said.  
  
Katherine didn't understand anything she said, but she could've sworn she only looked away for a second, and she was gone. The witch and the cottage had vanished. Had any of that really happened? Was she really magical? What was going on? She looked around, trying to make sense of things, but all she could see were the crew, and the ever-encroaching darkness.  
  
Something touched her ankle then, she was sure of it, and she froze. She felt something - a large presence - close in behind her, and she dared not move at all. It wasn't a solid presence, but the sort that felt like heavy air pressing against her, attempting to suffocate her. She felt the sensation of a hand gently brushing the hair from her ear and a terrifyingly familiar voice whispered to her, and she had no idea how.  
  
"Find your powers. Use them. It is the gift of becoming Champion. Use them wisely."  
  
Katherine didn't know what to do. That was definitely Greg's voice. And she could feel him behind her. But she knew he wasn't really there. He wasn't solid. He was a shadow. She hadn't wanted to be afraid again, but she was now. A hand squeezed her shoulder gently. How was he even doing this? How could a shadow touch her? His hand felt so cold, like the deep chill of the night beginning to seep into her bones at last. She shivered.  
  
"Don't be scared, Katherine. I'm always watching. I'm everywhere. You're safe with me," Greg said.  
  
"Yeah, safe with a stalker, sure, that really doesn't make me feel safe, you know?" Katherine protested, finally finding her voice, because his words just sounded creepy, not calming.  
  
Greg laughed, deep and low, and Katherine could've sworn she felt his arms around her, gently holding her close. His energy changed, too, and he didn't feel scary anymore, he was now radiating warmth and love. She had no idea how he'd done that, but in spite of herself, it was working to calm her down. "Sorry, Katherine. Couldn't resist. Don't be scared, I'm not here to hurt you, I want to help you. Find the power I gave you when you became my Champion, and go and rescue my boy. I know you can do this. That's why you won. That's why you're here. You're stronger than the others. You can succeed."  
  
"What power? What magic? When did you give me magic? What are you on about, Greg? I don't understand," Katherine said.  
  
She was absolutely certain she felt a kiss on her left cheek at that point in time. That was definitely a kiss, right? That was a pair of cold lips kissing her cheek. That's definitely what that was. It didn't help her understand. She had so many questions. She didn't feel magical. She didn't know how to be magical. She wasn't a witch. She was just Katherine, scared, cold, and standing in the middle of a dark scary forest at night, talking to a man she had never had any reason to assume wasn’t human, but might now actually be a ghost. She didn't know what to do with any of that.  
  
"Call up the power of the earth. Call to the ancestors. You might even find a dragon. Good luck. I'll be watching you," Greg said.  
  
Katherine still didn't really know what Greg wanted her to do, but before she could say anything, he was gone, as if he'd never been there at all. She turned to see where he might have gone, but of course he was nowhere to be found. He was a ghost. That had to be the explanation. But if Greg was a ghost, what on earth did that mean? Was this all a dream? Was any of this real? And if Greg was a ghost, did that mean he’d died? Had she died too? Was this some kind of test to see if she was going to get into Heaven? Ghosts were dead humans, right? That was all they could be. So, if Greg was dead, what on earth did that even mean? Was he dead? Was he even a ghost? Was he some other kind of spirit? Was he a fairy? A shadow being? Would she ever know?  
  
Greg had left her with far too many questions that her mind insisted on bringing to her attention right at that moment, and none of them had answers. She stood there, unsure what to do. She couldn’t stay here thinking about ghosts, of course. She still had to rescue Alex. She looked at her hands, tried to imagine what summoning magical powers might feel like, and achieved nothing. What even was magic? What kind of powers did Greg give her? And did that mean there were no consent rules when it came to giving people magical powers if she'd acquired them without asking for them? She was definitely going to talk to Greg about that once all this was done, because she suddenly felt violated. She hadn't asked for magical powers but she'd been given them anyway, and she almost wanted to not use them, just to spite him.  
  
But then the thought that maybe magic was actually real slowly began to nag at her, and perhaps it was the only way she was going to succeed at this task. Greg had given her powers for a reason. She was one of his Champions. She was one of the best at this kind of thing. And maybe it would be cool to have magic powers at her disposal to shoot down anyone who wanted to mess with her. You could do that with magic, right? The witch had definitely said magic could be used as a weapon. She wondered how on earth that would work. What even was magic then? Energy? Was it like lasers? Fire? Lightning? Was she suddenly now able to fling objects at people like a poltergeist? It'd be a great way to deal with hecklers, that's for sure.  
  
She looked at her hands again and thought about magic. Then, she had a flash of insight, and took her boots off so she was standing barefoot on the ground. Then she tried again.  
  
"He did say to call up the power of the earth. I wonder if this is how you do that," Katherine said as she closed her eyes and thought about going deep into the earth to summon its power.  
  
Something definitely changed. Her feet tingled, like they were getting warm. It felt like electricity. She saw it burn bright blue in her mind, and it came out of the earth and flowed seamlessly through her body, as if she was made to work with it. She opened her eyes, and saw sparks coming from her fingertips. She had never felt so powerful before, as if nothing at all could touch her. She felt invincible. She rubbed her hands together, and she felt the energy build. Before she'd had time to think, she'd thrown the energy at a tree, and watched, horrified, as it blasted a hole through the trunk.  
  
"Oh, shit! I didn't know it could do that," Katherine said. And then it sunk in that the tree was going to fall, and she barely had time to get out of the way before it came crashing down. She ducked and protected her face with her arms, shaken, not sure she wanted to have magic if that's what it was capable of doing.  
  
She didn't move for a long time, not sure she trusted herself to do anything, now that she felt the magic singing in her body. She didn't understand how it worked well enough to know she wouldn't set the forest on fire with one searing look. But the night wore on, and she knew she had to keep moving. Ready or not, she got to her feet, put her boots back on, steeled herself for the task ahead as she set off to find Alex, filled with a renewed sense of power and purpose.

* * *

 

Alex dreamed. That much he was certain about. Whether he was just reliving his trauma from being chased and captured or this was a real thing that could hurt him, he didn’t know. All he knew was that he was always being chased, and he could never get away. He would get to a certain point, like he always did, and it was like a system reset. He was back at the beginning, being chased all over again.  
  
He’d tried to stop. He’d tried to look at who was chasing him. Both these things resulted in him being attacked, giving him nightmares that he could not wake from, before the system reset all over again, like a video game he had to escape from, except he didn’t know what he was playing, nor what he was meant to do.  
  
The worst part was that every time it reset, he never remembered what had happened before. He knew it had reset. That much was clear. But the rest was lost to him. He kept repeating the same mistakes, running so far and so hard his legs couldn’t carry him, and he fell, he fell deep into the earth before he began the chase all over again. He was trapped, he couldn't wake up, and he was sure he would die here, running from whatever it was that was chasing him.

* * *

 

The mossy wall proved difficult to find. Katherine was sure she was going in the right direction, but the forest moved and twisted around her, and she wasn't sure where she really was. She knew she was getting close though. She could feel it. The sense of the place felt darker, angrier, as if it resented the fact that she was getting closer. Katherine didn't make a show of her fear, but it was there, pulsating away under her calm exterior. This was a world she did not know at all, and in many ways, felt way more dangerous than she was prepared for.  
  
There were statues now, grotesque creatures made of stone with bright shining eyes that never seemed to stop looking at her as she walked through the trees. They didn't make a path, not really. They were just there, scattered around as if they were a warning. They looked like creatures from her worst nightmares, and she hoped very much they weren't about to come alive and stop her finding the wall.  
  
The last statue she found was nothing like the others. It appeared to be some sort of Greek goddess holding what looked like a bouquet of poppies in her arms, but she didn't know who she might be. The name written on the base, ΠAΣIΘEA, was in Greek, and Katherine couldn’t read it. But this goddess, too, gave off an unsettling aura that told her to stay away. And she might have, if she hadn't seen the wall in the distance. There were ancient stone gargoyles on the top, staring at her. She almost wanted to turn back, but she couldn't leave Alex in the hands of the giants. She wasn't going to give up now.  
  
As she made to walk past the statue of the goddess, a very large, dark-coloured cat with golden eyes approached her out of the shadows, growling softly under its breath at her. Katherine froze. Was it a warning or a threat? Would this cat hurt her, or was it trying to make her stay away? Should she listen to the cat if it was trying to keep her safe? She wasn't sure, but she couldn't really sense the energy of the cat. The ominous feeling of the place suffocated everything else, and all she felt was afraid.  
  
The cat kept walking towards her, making her take a couple of steps backwards in case it was a threat. She didn't want to hurt it in case it was trying to warn her, but she didn't want the cat to hurt her, either. Her hands began tingling, as if the magic instinctively knew when it wanted to be used, but Katherine had no idea what to do with it. What would magic do to that cat? Was that cat even real? Was it magical? Was it even a threat to her, or was it a friend? Would she risk finding out? It would certainly kill her if it pounced on her. Those claws were big enough to do some serious damage if it wanted to maul her.  
  
She backed away as it crept towards her, trying to think, but her mind was blank. A ball of light grew between her hands, but she didn't know what to do with it. She felt like she should just throw it at the cat and run, but she didn't know what it was capable of doing. She wasn't sure her aim was that good, and if she missed, she might end up bringing a tree down on top of being mauled to death by a cat.  
  
"Just tell it what you want it to do. Then let it go," came a soft voice from behind her.  
  
It wasn't Greg's voice. It wasn't any voice she recognised. That alone alarmed her, but she dared not look behind to see who it was, because the cat crept ever closer and she dared not take her eyes off it.  
  
"What do you mean, tell it what to do?" Katherine said, trying not to panic.  
  
"The magic. Tell it what you want it to do. Tell it you want it to knock out the cat so you can get past it. Then let it go. Throw it like you might throw a ball," the voice said.  
  
Katherine doubted it was that simple, but lacking other ideas, she didn't think there was any cost to trying, at the very least. She looked at the ball of energy in her hands and told it what she wanted it to do, and tried not to feel stupid for talking to a ball of energy in the middle of a forest as if it was fucking sentient. "Right, now, just knock that cat out so it can't hurt me, but don't kill it, I don't want to kill it, just get past it, okay? Think you can do that?"  
  
She looked the cat square in the eyes as she prepared to throw the magic. In the small moment where she hesitated, the cat pounced before she could get away, pushing her back towards the ground, causing her to be hit with her own magic. Her entire world went black.

* * *

 

Katherine woke to find herself in a room that was so big she could hardly comprehend it. She was lying on something warm and soft, and as her eyes refocused, she could see giant concerned faces peering down at her. She felt too tired to really be afraid, not anymore. Her limbs felt heavy and weak, but she was in no pain, she just felt drowsy and tired. The magic seemed to have gone from her. She couldn't feel it anymore.  
  
"I'm definitely dreaming, right? This is all a silly dream. I'm going to wake up in my bed, and everything's going to be fine," Katherine murmured, unable to make sense of it.  
  
There were voices then, loud voices. They spoke a language she didn't recognise. She closed her eyes and wished for silence. Then she was moving. Being carried, perhaps. She was too tired to really pay attention to where she was going, but she was placed in a bed and left alone, a bed that was, thankfully, human-sized. She was asleep before she was conscious of it.

* * *

 

Katherine wasn't expecting to dream, but she stood there, in strange darkness, seeing Alex running scared towards her, but this time, she could see what was chasing him. Glowing white skeletons with axes and scythes and fangs and wings and other horrors floated at speed through the air after him, and Katherine was sure Alex would never be able to outrun them. Then, Alex saw her and his eyes grew wide with panic.  
  
"Please, Katherine, I can't escape, I need to get out, I'm trapped in my dreams. Get me out of here, please. I can't resist them forever," Alex said, too scared to look behind him to see how close they really were.  
  
Katherine found her hands tingling again. Could she even use magic in dreams? Did that work? How was that even possible? No answers were forth-coming, but she had to do something. One of the skeletons almost caught Alex but ended up just tearing the back of his jacket instead, and Alex reached for her, desperate.  
  
But as she tried to summon her magic, to make it work, it all just drained out of her instead. The more she tried, the weaker she felt. Over and over, the dream repeated. Alex ran, the skeletons chased him, and Alex begged her to use her magic. Every time, she failed.  
  
She was getting frantic now, and angry. She would get stuck here if she didn't find a way out. Alex kept running towards her, the skeletons kept getting closer, and she had no idea what to do. She didn't know how to use magic. She had no idea how to get out of this. It was wearing them both down, she could tell. Alex looked like he was close to giving up. The skeletons tore his jacket more often now. Once, they cut his arm with a scythe and he cried in pain, though he didn't let them catch him. Katherine kept watching, feeling helpless.  
  
She knew time was running out. She didn't know how she knew that. It was just a feeling, she knew it in the pit of her stomach. Soon, they'd both give in, she knew that. What happened then, she didn’t know, but she doubted it would be good. She had to find some way of making the magic work. That was their only way out.  
  
She took her boots off and closed her eyes, hoping to make the magic work the way it had the last time, by connecting to the earth. She wasn't sure she was actually standing on the earth, but it had worked last time, so she saw no harm in trying again. There, the soles of her feet began tingling at last, and the magic returned. Katherine didn't have time to think, she knew that. And then the magic filled her without her needing to call it up, overwhelming her, and she somehow knew what to do with it. Words left her mouth, she spoke something, but it was all meaningless to her. It felt like she was possessed, and the magic was somehow sentient, able to work on its own through her, as if she was the conduit it needed, as if someone else was working magic through her. All she was really aware of was the light, and the skeletons coming after her instead, before she somehow blasted them with something that made them disintegrate. And then instantly Alex collapsed into her arms, exhausted, and she almost managed to keep standing before his knees gave in, and they both ended up on the ground, Alex leaning heavily against her.  
  
Katherine breathed a sigh of relief. She had him at last. He was safe, for now. He seemed very quiet, as if he really did have no energy left, and she could feel his heart beating rapidly through her chest as he caught his breath. He held her tight, unwilling to let her go, and she forgave him for it because he just seemed to need her. Whatever he’d been through hadn’t been pleasant. She knew, somehow, that she had to get them both out of there, but she didn't know how, not yet.  
  
But then, she, too, suddenly felt tired beyond words, as if his fatigue was seeping into her body as he held her, and all she could think of to do was sit there, hug Alex tight, and try to reassure them both they would get out of here. How did you even escape a dream, anyway? Surely you just woke up, right? But that seemed too simple. All she knew was that she wanted to just stay here forever and rest, and Alex was silent, breathing heavily, and in no shape to go anywhere, either. She could just sleep. Just for a while. Just a little. It wouldn't hurt, would it? A little sleep wouldn't kill her.

* * *

 

Alex couldn't move. His body felt like it was made from concrete. He knew this was the most dangerous time. At least when he'd been running, he'd had a chance of escape. But now, he couldn't move. He had no energy to move. He was being held down, or the earth was holding him close, he didn't really know. He'd just stopped, and didn't want to get up again.  
  
He was only human. He didn't have the powers the magical creatures had. Greg had never given him magical powers like he'd given all his Champions magical powers. Greg said he didn't need them. Alex was helpless. He needed someone else to break him out of here, but he didn't know how to call for them. Was he even dreaming now, or had he been trapped elsewhere in some strange magical universe he wouldn't be able to escape from? Was this like being taken to the Fairy Court, where you couldn't leave because the Fairy Queen now had you as her prisoner? What had happened to him between being thrown across the room in the cage and being left to sleep in the doll house anyway? He had no memories of that at all, and he wasn't sure if he should be concerned about that or not.  
  
He couldn't see anything anyway. His whole world was darkness. If this was a dream, it was a very boring one. He'd closed his eyes, too, to be fair, but the world was darkness even when he opened his eyes, so what difference did it make? Not that he was aware of anything, just that his body was exhausted and he couldn't summon the energy to move.  
  
Slowly, he became aware that he was being held. Someone else was with him and they had their arms around him, holding him tight. They felt too small to be Greg, but perhaps it was Katherine. Katherine was meant to be rescuing him this time, wasn't she? What was she doing trapped here too? He forced his eyes open and there was a new soft glow around him now. It was just enough light to see Katherine sleeping, or so it seemed, lying on top of him, as if she'd fallen on him somehow. He was holding her close, too, much as he now felt awkward about it, but he didn't want to let go now, not if it might mean they lost each other. He might never get out then.  
  
As he looked around, the trees began to appear, first as shadows, then as more distinct objects. He felt the ground change underneath him so that he was now lying on fallen leaves and cold soil. But what he could also see, in the distance, were the glinting eyes of unidentifiable creatures, whose low growls and cries were just loud enough to unsettle him. They were definitely not alone out here. They needed to leave. Now.  
  
"Katherine. Katherine, wake up. Katherine, can you hear me? It's Alex. Please, we need to get out of here, but I can't do it, I don't have any magic. Katherine, please, wake up," Alex whispered, not wanting to raise his voice in case he attracted the attention of other creatures who might want to hurt them.

* * *

 

"Katherine, wake up, I need you to wake up," Alex said.  
  
Katherine heard him. She recognised his voice. He sounded distant, faint, like he was too far away. But sleep beckoned, and she just wanted to lie there forever. That would be lovely. The ground was so soft, she felt so warm and loved. She could just sleep here forever, right? That'd be fine, wouldn't it?  
  
"Katherine, wake up, please wake up, don't fall asleep, that's how they trap you here," Alex said.  
  
This time, Alex's voice sounded more urgent than she'd realised, but she felt so very tired. She was sure someone was whispering to her, telling her to sleep, to just let go, to let the soft clouds carry her away into wonderful soothing dreams.  
  
_'Sleep, my child, sleep, just sleep.'_ The female voice who whispered to her was so soft and gentle, so full of love. She didn't know who it was, but there was power in her voice, and she was in its thrall. A soft hand was stroking her hair in the gentle, soft, caressing way a lover might run their fingers through her hair, and she shivered, giving in to the sensations. She just wanted them to take her away.  
  
"Jus' ... lemme sleep, Alex. Just for a bit. Then we'll go, I promise," Katherine said.  
  
'"Katherine, please, I need your magic, we need to get out of here," Alex said.  
  
Katherine could hear the fear in his voice now, loud and clear, but she very much did not want to wake. She had no idea how Alex was speaking to her, either. He was still a solid, sleeping lump in her arms, though at least she'd moved him onto his back, so she wasn't being crushed. She curled up beside him, resting her head on his chest, as the tiredness sunk deep into her body. But Alex was speaking to her, his voice was coming from somewhere else. She just didn't know how, and she didn't want to wake.  
  
But then a deep feline growl sounded close to her ear, breaking the spell over her, and she could feel its hot breath against her skin. She suddenly remembered this wasn't over, that she had to wake, and there might be some danger still around. She opened her eyes, saw Alex lying there, unmoving, and gingerly reached behind her to feel the soft fur of a large cat behind her.  
  
"Oh, god. Oh, god, I hope it isn't that cat from before," Katherine whispered.  
  
The cat purred then, concerned, and gently lifted her arm, tugging on her sleeve, as if it was begging her to get up. Katherine didn't move, she felt like her legs were bound to the ground. The cat tried again, gently lifting her arm to get her to rise. Katherine almost resisted this time, but then she caught sight of a faint light in the distance - or was it a pair of eyes? - and she suddenly knew she didn't want to be there anymore, breaking free of the sleep that had wanted to claim her. She got up, and shoved Alex, trying to get him to wake. She would never be able to lift him. She needed him to wake.  
  
"Alex! Alex, wake up! Come on, there's something coming, wake up! We need to leave, but I can't carry you! I need you to run with me!" Katherine said, pulling on his arm to get him to move. "Alex, please, they're getting closer, I can't hold them off, I don't have any magic left. Please, please, Alex, wake up, I need you to wake up."  
  
Before Katherine had time to react, the cat roared, and she fell on top of Alex through the sheer force of the cat's voice. She struggled to get up, but at least Alex had opened his eyes, and he looked at her, horrified, not sure what to do with himself as she stood over him.  
  
"I-I-what-I just-"  
  
"No time to explain, Alex, just get up and run. We need to leave now," Katherine said.  
  
She took his hand, pulled him to his feet, and for reasons she never quite understood, she followed the cat as it ran away from the light and into the darkness. It kept roaring, and it gradually glowed golden until the whole place was gold, shining so bright it hurt Katherine's eyes, and then, as if they'd never gone anywhere, there was a sharp force that pushed them through back into the forest. They fell hard on the ground, but the cat was nowhere to be seen.  
  
Then, Katherine felt the ground tremble. Now, she could feel the giants coming. "Oh, shit."  
  
Katherine scrambled to her feet, and found Alex lying a little further away from her, struggling to get up. She ran to him and helped him up. "Come on, there's no time, the giants are coming."  
  
Alex was about to reply but they both saw Greg running towards them, carrying some kind of large axe, with an expression on his face that was filled with gleeful revenge.  
  
"Leave them to me. You two, run like hell," Greg said as he passed them by.  
  
Katherine almost said something, but as he ran past them, Greg seemed to grow impossibly tall as he headed towards the other giants. But she didn't need to be told twice to run, and gripping Alex's hand tight, they did indeed run like hell, trying to keep on their feet as the ground trembled under them.

* * *

 

They didn't stop running until the ground had stopped trembling. How they had the energy for it, Katherine never knew, but they made it. She sat down on the ground, exhausted, but glad it was over. It was then that she noticed it was nearly dawn. The forest was slowly beginning to wake up. Had she been out all night? No wonder she felt exhausted. But she'd completed the task. She'd rescued Alex before dawn. He couldn't disqualify her for that.  
  
"Is there any point asking what on earth happened? Like, any of it?" Katherine said.  
  
"You could certainly ask, but I don't have any answers for you, sorry, Katherine," Alex said, sounding as tired as she felt.  
  
"Not even Greg turning into a giant - an even taller giant? I didn't just hallucinate that, did I? I swear, he disappeared like he was a ghost. What even is he?" Katherine said.  
  
"I don't - I don't even know, Katherine, I'm only human, it isn't my world, I don't know anything," Alex said.  
  
She looked at him, as if trying to see if he was lying, but he seemed just as shaken by it all as she was. She decided he'd suffered as much as she had and gave him a hug, sensing he needed one. He held her back, and they sat there a moment, trying to make sense of everything. Neither of them noticed they were entirely alone. There was no crew, no cameras, just the two of them and the beckoning dawn.  
  
"You weren't hurt at all, were you?" Katherine asked after a while.  
  
Alex shook his head, unsure. "I - maybe. I can't really remember. I'm just tired now. I'll accept tired."  
  
"Can we go home now? I want my bed," Katherine said.  
  
"Sure, sure. Just - give me a minute to get my bearings. Good work. I almost didn't think you'd make it, but you did. Thank you," Alex said.  
  
"No problem, Alex. That's what Champions do, they rescue the damsel in distress. I hope you're okay, too. You sure you didn't get hurt?" Katherine said.  
  
"No, no, I'm fine. Just tired.” He paused, took a long, deep breath full of resignation, and got to his feet. “Come on, let's get out of here. I’m done with this forest and its horrors.”  
  
“Yeah, I hear ya,” Katherine said as he helped her up. “I am not going to miss this place.”  
  
If they’d looked behind them, they might’ve seen the pair of shining eyes, watching them. But they didn’t. 


End file.
